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Elder Law Reports

Placing a spouse or a parent in a nursing home is likely one of the most difficult decisions you’ll ever have to make. It’s not a decision anyone wants to face. To make matters worse, it is often a choice that must be made under pressure, with little warning.

The transition to life in a nursing home can be a difficult one, both for the nursing home resident and for his or her family members. It means leaving behind the familiar comforts of home and adjusting to life in a new and unfamiliar environment.

This guide will serve as an introduction to a number of the common practical and legal issues ALS patients and their families encounter, in addition to some practical strategies for dealing with these issues.

An Alzheimer’s diagnosis can be overwhelming. It opens up a new world of medical jargon, treatments, and routines. It also means making all kinds of adjustments to the way you and your family live. These life adjustments often include decisions that carry legal implications.

The decision to place a loved one in a nursing home is often accompanied by an incredible amount of anxiety and stress. Whether the need for long-term care is brought on by a sudden accident or by a long-term, progressive illness, this is likely an unhappy time for both the person entering the nursing home and those who are helping with the transition.

The need for nursing home care does not have to catch you off guard. A visit with a qualified estate planning and elder law attorney – one who has experience helping families sort through their long-term care nursing home options and understands how the Medicaid program might apply to your situation – can help you understand the choices available to you and prepare for the future with a clear plan for how to pay for a nursing home without going broke or losing the family home.

Think back to the day you first got your driver’s license. Do you remember the sense of pride and independence you felt? Now, imagine you had to give up the ability to drive…right now. Today. How would you feel?

The question of when to begin incapacity planning is fairly easy to answer. Since we cannot be sure how soon, how late, or even if tragedy will strike, implementing the necessary changes as soon as possible brings peace of mind knowing that you are covered should you become legally incapacitated.

No guide can cover everything you need to know as you juggle all your responsibilities as an Alzheimer’s caregiver, and this guide does not attempt to do so. What this guide does is give you practical information to make some of the everyday situations you’re likely to encounter a little easier.